Your Decision: A Jackunzel Story

Chapter 3

Rapunzel groaned as she sat up. The memories of last night came flooding back, and she wished they'd stop. A servant walked up to her bedside with a note. Rapunzel took it and nearly screamed when she read it.

Dear Rapunzel,

My dear, you seem to have caught the eye of many men, but you are not as thin as you should be. You will have a strict diet and wear a corset from now on. Today you are going to the square for the Star Festival. We love you!

Mommy and Daddy

Mommy and Daddy? How old did they think she was? Diet and corset? Great. At least the Star Festival would be an excuse to see Mari.

Whilst Rapunzel was pondering her strange predicament, a servant walked in with breakfast. It consisted of a small bun and a crystal glass half full of orange juice.

"Um, excuse me, is this all?" Rapunzel asked the young girl. She nodded.

"You're bath is being drawn, miss," the girl said. "The queen said that your morning will be used to get ready for the festival." Then she turned and walked out the door.

Rapunzel loved the bath. Hot water and the smell of roses calmed her down for about 5 minutes. After that, it was pulling, tightening, plucking, squeezing, and lots of pain.

Rapunzel hated the end results. Her body was squeezed in so tight by her corset, it looked as though she was just a needle. While the dresses fabric was a beautiful, pale purple that swirled and wrapped around a soft pink, the dress itself was ugly. It had too many frills and was too poofy. Her feet already ached from the shoes and her hair was pulled up in the tightest bun imaginable.

"Um, thank you," she said as the servants left. The second they were gone, Rapunzel kicked off the shoes and went to her wardobe. There, she found a dress that had the prettiest green fabric and the ugliest design. Rapunzel was able to find a bag that she could put the dress in, along with a brush, pins, and two bottles of perfume.

"Miss, your carriage is ready," a servant announced. Rapunzel went out to the carriage, barefoot. No one could see that she was, what with poofiness of the dress.

"Take me exactly where I say, or I wilk have you fired from this job. If you say nothing of where I went, I will make sure you get a raise. Understood?" Rapunzel said to the driver. He swallowed and nodded. She directed him to Mari's house.

"Rapunzel! I almost didn't recognize you!" Mari exclaimed, hugging Rapunzel.

"I've got these things we can use. Do you have a needle and thread?" With that, she was off. Having lived alone for so long with nothing to do, Rapunzel was a master at sewing. In no time at all, she had taken apart and resewn the dresses, making two masterpieces that would be the envy of every woman. The green dress, that Mari loved the color of, was draped and tucked in just the right way. When Mari put it on(after putting on a corset, just tight enough that it showed off her form) she seemed to flow with the fabric.

Rapunzel loosened her corset and slipped into the purple and pink dress that was now a waterfall of fabric. It moved with her, making every step magical.

Rapunzel helped Mari pin up some hair in an eloquent updo. Rapunzel left her hair down, in love with the feel of a light head.

Together(after finding some comfortable shoes) they got in the carriage and rode to the square, laughing and smiling the whole time.

Upon arriving, Rapunzel saw her parents right away. They were seated on a platform above the people. She knew that she didn't want to go up there. Keeping her head down, Rapunzel and Mari went over by the dancing area, hoping a man will ask them to dance. Unfortunately, a guard saw Rapunzel and directed her over to the platform.

"I'll try to find you in a little bit!" Rapunzel said to Mari before she was swept away. As she climbed the steps to the platform, Rapunzel realized there were only two chairs.

"Mom?" Rapunzel asked, feeling strange using the word. "I don't have a chair."

"What was that, my dear?" the queen asked.

"I said that I don't have a chair. Where am I supposed to sit?"

"The food is over there, dear," the queen said before returning to the conversation she had been having with some women dressed in overly filly dresses.

Rapunzel stood there, already tired. Why did this life seem worse than her other life? Then, she saw him.

He had white hair, but he was a young man. 20 at the most. He was dressed in formal clothes, but they weren't the clothes of a noble. He stood close to the platform, but he was so far away.

"Oh my," Rapunzel whispered to herself. It was at that moment he had smiled. His smile, oh his smile made her heart flutter. No, it made her heart dance. Then he turned towards her.

She locked eyes with him. They were a startling blue that were filled with laughter. Rapunzel dropped her gaze first, a blush crawling up her cheeks. When she had looked down, she noticed the guards were caught up in the festivities. They were too distracted to notice Rapunzel creep off the platform and run through the crowd.

That's all for this chapter! I'm sorry about the delay in updating. I'll try harder next time! :)